Venus Williams loses to 18-year-old whose coach is her former rival

The 46-year-old, seven-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 6-2 6-2 by 18-year-old Lilli Tagger in a match that featured one of the largest age differences between opponents in WTA history.

The age gap was further highlighted by the fact that Tagger's coach, Francesca Schiavone, is the same age as Williams and faced the American regularly during her playing career.

Williams, currently ranked 599th in the world, has not won a match since July 2025 and relies on wildcards to compete on the WTA Tour.

Her latest defeat has reignited debate over whether she should continue receiving wildcards, with some arguing that they deny younger players valuable opportunities to develop their careers.

Tournament organisers, however, are considering the commercial appeal of inviting one of the sport's all-time greats.

As for Tagger, the teenager admitted to a mixture of nerves and excitement when she saw she would be facing the former legend.

"When I saw the draw, I was super excited and a bit nervous - I respect her a lot," said the World No 53.

"It is funny she used to play with my coach. I would love to play at this age - I want to congratulate her."

While the 18-year-old did complete a straight-sets win, she was made to work hard at times, with Williams still able to do damage with her serve and put Tagger under pressure.

Her 18-year-old opponent was even more dominant on her serve, however, losing just seven service points during the entire match. 

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